Quick Contents Glance
* Upcoming Tours
* Kouga-Baviaans Tour (Day 5)
* Signs of the times
* Ben 10 Eco Challenge (Day 2)
* Wild Coast Tour V7 (Day 3)
* Pass of the Fortnight
UPCOMING TOURS & NEWS
17th February: Atlantis Dunes Training Day. We've had a late cancellation, so there's 1 spot available if you fancy trying your hand at soft sand driving or simply brushing up on your skills. It's a fun day in the dunes with everyone doing their best not to get stuck. The sand will be soft, so it's a perfect time to get out there and have some fun whilst learning. The course includes a hard-copy training manual as well as a certificate of completion. BOOK HERE.
During March we will be heading off to the Hogsback/Katberg/Winterberg area to recce the proposed tour. Creating a new tour involves a lot of groundwork, so bear with us as we set things up for what promises to be a spectacular and popular tour, based on the volume of inquiries we have already had. The launch date of this new tour is likely to be in the second half of 2024.
In April we will be running back to back tours to Lesotho. Both remain fully booked with waiting lists.
May: Our 8th Wild Coast Tour will take place from the 14th - 25th. The tour will be run on our tried and tested routes and if you're one of those that doesn't like mud, the May tour is usually the driest time of year. ITINERARY AND BOOKINGS HERE
July 7th to 13th - Swartberg Tour. Our ever popular Swartberg Tour marks our midwinter offering with dazzlingly clear skies and if the weather plays along, there's a good chance of seeing some snow. The tour covers the very best of the Swartberg range. There is 1 ticket left. ITINERARY & BOOKINGS HERE
11th August - Grabouw 4x4 Training Day - This course comprises a full day covering all the aspects of offroad driving, safety and recoveries. You'll receive a certificate of completion at the end of the day. BOOK HERE
September 23 - 28th - Kouga-Baviaans Tour. For the 2024 version of this tour we will be reverting to our traditional format starting in Kareedouw and ending in Steytlerville. We have also added an extra day into the tour, taking in some new passes and fabulous scenery. ITINERARY & BOOKINGS HERE
November 5-16th - Wild Coast Tour V9. The wet season tour offers more challenging driving as well as mud to up the ante. The route remains the same covering all the very best the Wild Coast has to offer. ITINERARY & BOOKINGS HERE
December 1st - 7th: The new Ben 10 Eco Challenge includes Joubert Pass, Heuningneskloof (new), Otto du Plessis, Bastervoetpad, Lundeans Nek, Dangershoek (new), Volunteershoek, Carlisleshoekspruit Pass, Naudes Nek & the Potrivier Pass (new). This is a wet season challenge, so expect rain and mud and challenging driving. Earn your badge and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime. The Ben 10 is not just about challenge passes. There are a host of other attractions to enjoy including some fantastic birding. ITINERARY & BOOKINGS HERE
KOUGA-BAVIAANS TOUR (DAY 5)
With the convoy punctually ready to go, we started the final day at the Doringkloof farm, where we stopped briefly to pay for our permits to drive the 4x4 Rus en Vrede Trail over the Kouga Mountains. Farmer Chris Lampbrecht was on hand to arrange everything and off we went in excellent weather.
The first bit of drama came when the lead vehicle (your scribe) mistook one of the signs on the farm and headed off in the wrong direction, having to stop periodically to prune the fast growing thorn trees. It's not called Doringkloof for nothing! Theo Hammond wielding his impressive DeWalt portable chainsaw made short work of the job, allowing the convoy to drive along scratch free. We ended up at Joachimskraal - one of the outlying guesthouses on the farm, where we realised we were on the wrong track. A quick turnaround saw us heading back the way we had just come, but for Ian Teepe in his Toyota Fortuner, a slight lapse of attention saw his vehicle getting stuck in a sandy ditch.
With the group lending a hand, we soon had the Fortuner back on all fours by employing a reverse tow. The detour and recovery set us back almost an hour, as we drove back to the intersection where we should have turned right. The farmer was waiting there for us with a look of mild exasperation on his face, but had the good grace not to say anything.
The Fortuner's misfortune / Photo: Trygve Roberts
This was the first time we were driving the route from north to south, so everything looked different. Once we were up through the first switchbacks, the vistas grew wide and magnificent as we slowly rolled along the spines of the ridges. We stopped frequently to allow for photography and ended up having lunch at a livestock 'kraal' with forever views all around us.
Towards the southern end of the route, near where Katot Meyer lost his beloved Series 1 Land Rover Defender by forgetting to apply his handbrake, Dion de Beer radioed in that he had a puncture in his new Land Rover Defender 300. The incident took place on a bit of an incline and soon all those that could help got stuck in and helped Dion change the wheel.
A narrow gravel track winding through the mountains - Freedom! / Photo: Trygve Roberts
With the hour lost at the start of the day, we decided not to stop at Baviaans Lodge and turned east along Meidenek. That was followed by the traverse of the Kouga River Pass, which just two days earlier was undriveable due to the depth of the water and swift current. We had all been anticipating the possibility of a massive detour, so when we saw the state of the crossing it was really fairly easy and much ado about nothing - especially considering all the much deeper crossings that we had completed earlier in the tour.
The final pass was the Suuranysberg Pass, before descending gently to Kareedouw. We checked in at the Assegaaibosch Lodge and were delighted to find the Butlers and the Heathcotes already there. The Butlers, having had their Land Rover towed away to PE for repairs, had picked up the Heathcotes (the one with the blown Land Cruiser radiator) in Patensie, using their loan vehicle. It was a serious party that final night as well as a RWC semi final match against France. All this added to the festive mood.
And so ended another highly successful Kouga-Baviaans Tour - certainly the wettest one we have ever done. A great group of guests who bonded well and more lifelong friendships made on tour. Our next Kouga -Baviaans tour will take place in September this year. Sign up.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
We took a break in January and rebooted mind, body and soul in beautiful Wilderness. But it wasn't all rest. We took two days to refurbish some of our signs on the 7 Passes Road, some of which were looking awful. We started in the west at the Kaaimansgat Pass, noticing immediately that the road had "No Thoroughfare" signs erected near Saasveld. We proceeded down the pass to the bridge followed by a large group of cyclists who were enjoying the roads without other traffic. The sign needed a scrub down and the removal of a few stickers. We were done in about 40 minutes after which we drove up the far side to get to the Silver River Pass sign, but the road was completely barricaded at Idyll Guest farm by heavy concrete barriers. Only cyclists, walkers and motorcycles could get past.
Slightly bruised and battered, our Karatara Pass sign lives to see another day / Photo: Peter Emmanuel
That required a turnaround and an approach from the eastern side via Wilderness Heights, only to be blocked by a similar set of concrete barricades a few hundred metres from the summit. That sign will have to wait for another session. Apparently the pass got severely damaged with the parts of the road surface having collapsed. We have had no intel as to progress on repairs. We really hope that repairs will be affected as soon as possible as the 7 Passes Road is a major tourist attraction.
Whilst on the subject of George Municipality, there is no sign of any repair work on the Montagu Pass either; which has been closed for over a year. We will continue to engage with the relevant authorities and report our findings here.
(Late entry: The George Herald have released an article on the passes above, where the delays have been cited as a result of numerous reasons/excuses, but the bottom line is that there are currently no funds. This is to be expected in other provinces, but not in the Western Cape. We will kick-start a campaign of public awareness on social media.)
The next sign was the Touw River Pass which was looking in a really bad state. White spray-paint had been randomly applied to the lower half of the sign, requiring a lot of elbow grease, thinners and many rags to clean it all off. Hundreds of dents from rocks thrown at the sign have damaged the metal and ugly graffiti has been scratched deep into the paint. We restored the sign as best we could. Locals from the Hoekwil township walk down to the river to swim and then with nothing else to do, deface the only sign there - like it's a sport of sorts. The old steel bridge is also covered in spray-paint and gaudy graffiti. That clean-up operation took well over an hour and a half, so we decided to call it a day and finish the project the following day.
The sign at the Karatara River Pass was missing. We found it lying in the bushes lying face down on the side of the road, the poles having been snapped off at ground level. Based on our observations, it was likely unintentionally knocked down by earth-moving equipment clearing flood debris. This particular sign had taken a side swipe from a truck about two years ago which had bent it. We will earmark this sign for full replacement as soon as we have initiated the next crowd funding drive.
Peter Emmanuel - Sign Saviour! / Photo: Trygve Roberts
Having had an enjoyable lunch with our MPSA guests, Peter & Carol Emmanuel from Knysna, I mentioned the downed sign-board and asked Peter if he knew of a contractor in Knysna who could reinstate the sign for us. Peter, being the gentleman that he is, only asked for a pin drop. A week later he sent me a photo of the sign back in position and refused to be compensated financially. Thank you sir - you are one of a kind. It's this sort of deed that cancels out the negativity of vandalism.
All that remained were clean-ups of the Homtini and Phantom Passes signs, which both only needed a wash and polish, which were completed the following day.
Our fund raising effort to replace the sign at the Kaaimans River Pass at Dolphin Point has reached its target. The order for manufacture and erection of the sign will go out next week. Our heartfelt thanks to those who donated.
BEN 10 ECO CHALLENGE (DAY 2)
One of the surprises on this tour was meeting the new owner (Johan) of the Mountain Shadows Hotel and he told us an interesting story of how the purchase of the hotel unfolded. Johan is a keen biker and had gotten himself into trouble a year earlier when together with his friend Okkie, found themselves marooned and in distress at the summit of Bastervoetpad in a wild electrical storm.
Mountain Shadows Hotel taken from Dawid se Kop / MPSA Guest Photo
To cut a long story short, Okkie phoned his friend Geoff Russell in Cape Town, desperately requesting evacuation and medical assistance. Geoff called me in Cape Town and I started calling all my farmer contacts in the area to see who could assist. This was around 20.30 on a Sunday night. Most of them were away on holiday, but my last call reached Sarel Vorster, who owns the farm not far from the pass. Sarel immediately rallied and rescued the two bikers in the dead of night. Once they had been treated, fed and cleaned up, all three ended up in the bar at Mountain Shadows until sunrise the next day, celebrating the gift of life. One thing led to another and Johan fell in love with the hotel and promptly bought it. Johan was very pleased to meet me in person and thanked me for the role that MPSA played in their rescue.
Watching the weather forecasts is crucial in ensuring that we get all our guests to successfully complete the event. We had rain forecast for every day of that week, with the heaviest forecast on the second day. We decided to deploy our lay day, but none the less got the team up early to attempt the drive up nearby Dawid se Kop. Invariably the rain stays away in the mornings and begins falling from around lunchtime and through the night. It was going to be tight. They key is to try. Fortune favours the bold.
We did the short drive to Sarel Vorster's farm, where we had pre-arranged for Sarel to drive with us in the lead vehicle and dispensed information as we slowly ambled towards the very steep climb up to Dawid se Kop, opening and closing farm gates as we went. Sarel is completely fluent in Afrikaans, English and Xhosa.
The clouds were already rolling in at Dawid se Kop / Photo: Trygve Roberts
The weather held off just long enough to complete the excursion with the first drops of rain falling as we got back to the farm. Normally (after the drive up to the peak), we visit the vulture colony behind the hotel, but with the rain being imminent, it seemed highly unlikely that would happen. Instead we returned via the Bottelnek Pass, reaching the hotel just after 14.00 and in time for a light lunch. We put out a stay of announcement regarding the vultures, just in case the weather cleared, but by 16.00 it became clear we would have to abort, as it was raining heavily. The notice was put out on the Whats App group and those that were enjoying an afternoon nap, turned over and continued snoring after three rigorous days of non-stop action.
Next Episode: Lundean's Nek, Dangershoek, Volunteershoek and Carlisleshoekspruit passes.
WILD COAST TOUR V7 (Day 3)
We woke to a beautiful clear, blue sky day at Mbotyi River Lodge. On the roster for the day was a site visit to the Msikaba N2 Mega Bridge, followed by a drive to the Msikaba Vulture colony a few kilometres downstream. As always guests are fascinated by the bridge construction and a valuable hour was spent watching the overhead projector presentation followed by a Q&A session.
Guests were then taken around the site, strictly following safety protocols and some had the thrill of taking the little cable car over the gorge. Load shedding coincided with one of the ferries across the gorge, which meant those few who were stuck in the cable car dangling over the 190 deep gorge had an exciting time.
Progress on the bridge is moving along nicely. We could clearly see the height level improvement of the two towers compared to our previous visit 6 months ago. The reinforced concrete pouring is done under very strict controls and each section of 3m takes about 2 weeks to cure fully, before the next level is started. The towers will be 129m tall once completed. Sections of the bridge decks, which are welded and assembled in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, are then brought down by abnormal load trucks to the site and will be launched out over the gorge using the incremental launching method from both sides. This part of the construction will only commence once the two towers have reached full height.
We also had a good view of the nearby Ntentu Falls, reputed to be the second highest waterfall in South Africa, after Tugela Falls. Engineers at Msikaba measured the height at 173m . There was a good flow of water over the straight drop falls when we were there and we have subsequently discovered a road that will allow us to take guests to the top of the falls in future visits.
We then took the road to the coast, which despite having been recently resurfaced, has taken a bit of strain, and later turned off across the swampy plateau to the Msikaba Vulture viewing site. Every time we have been to the vultures we have had one or more vehicles getting stuck on the way there. Local authorities have tried building a paved two spoor track, but at this stage most of it is useless, having sunk away into the mud.
MPSA1 doing a winch recovery of the Fortuner / Photo: MPSA Guest Photo
The Whitings, who were right behind the lead vehicle fell prey to the mud and required a winch recovery. No harm done other than some ego damage. John earned his mud Chappies that night.
The vultures were flying. What a magnificent sight they were. The photographers were out in force with their long lenses and time passed too quickly before we sounded the departure hooter. Another awesome day on the Wild coast with happy guests, translates into much mirth and fun in the evenings.
Next Episode: Mbotyi to Umngazi River Bungalows via the doctors surgery in Lusikisiki.
PASS OF THE FORTNIGHT
This gravel pass is one of the great gravel passes of the Eastern Cape and is held in awe by adventure travellers to the same extent as Joubert's Pass, Naude's Nek, Carlisleshoekspruit, Volunteershoek, Bastervoetpad, and Otto du Plessis passes. Lundin's Nek (which is also often spelled as Lundean's Nek) is a much bigger pass technically than any of the others and must rank as the most underrated big gravel pass in South Africa.
Not that many people have driven this pass as it really doesn't lead to anywhere significant, other than the Tele River border post with Lesotho. The pass is steep and peppered with 101 bends, corners and curves including four hairpins, several unbridged stream crossings and very steep, unguarded drop-offs. It's also long at 14,5 km and concentration levels need to be maintained throughout. The pass is not suitable for normal sedan vehicles. Whilst we recommend a 4x4 for this road, it is possible to complete it in a high clearance 4x2 vehicle in fair weather. It connects the small farming community of Wartrail with the Tele River border post at Lesotho.
* * L U N D E A N S N E K P A S S * *
Trygve Roberts/Editor
"There are so many different kinds of stupidity, and cleverness is one of the worst.”
― The Magic Mountain
